Jeanny
by MsLanna
Summary: Jeanny and her Master Zoran try to survive. An Order 66 Songfic to Jeanny by Falco.
1. Part 1

Title: Jeanny

**Title:** Jeanny  
**Author:** MsLanna  
**Timeframe:** RotS  
**Characters:** OCs: Zoran, Jeanny  
**Genre**: Sonfic, drama  
**Keywords:** Oder 66,  
**Summary:** Jeanny and her Master Zoran try to survive Order 66. But that is not easy when the clone troopers know where to find you.  
Notes:

Jeanny

_Jeanny komm, komm doch, steh auf, bitte! _

The words of her Master reached her through the mist of misery. But she did not want to get up, did not want to move on, not ever. Curled up on the ground, still panting as well as she could in this position, Jeanny tried to forget the world. Forget the running, the endless flight through wind and rain. Or had it been tears? She did not know. It could have been molten lava for all she knew, everything seemed possible after the world had tilted and thrown everything she believed, everything she had know, to trash.

Ranja, her best friend Ranja - dead. She still saw it, like a holoflick in slow motion, the red blaster bolt hitting his chest, and a red fountain spurting out in return. Slowly, his body had fallen, so slowly and when it thudded onto the ground, the galaxy had jolted sideways and bowled over everything. No, Jeanny did not want to get up.

_du bist ganz nass, _

Wet, what did it matter? It was no proof that the rain had not been tears. Jeanny felt her eyes burn. Burn with the pain of what she had seen. She had not been fond of Ranja's Master, a strict Twi'lek, but he had fought valiantly. And long. She did not know how many clones he had killed in the process, very many most likely, Master Dwaren had been an excellent fighter. But the troopers had kept coming, like ants from all sides. Jeanny wrapped her arm around her head as if that would keep the pictures away. Too many clones, too many blasters and Dwaren had gone down in a blaze.

If Ranja and Dwaren had not been able to stop them, how could she even hope for escape? Jeanny did not like fighting much. She wanted to be a healer and mediator when she grew up and Zoran was a wonderful and gentle Master, but also not a fighter, too. He could work miracles on other people's minds, but that was it. He could not lift a rock if his life depended on it. Jeanny remembered the teasing when she had to spend another lesson with a Jedi not her Master.

"Why do they give him an apprentice at all?" Ranja had asked. "The only way he can really use the Force in a directed way is manipulating others."

Jeanny had not known what to answer. How to explain that being a Jedi was not only about using the Force? It was also about who you were as a person, and Zoran had a lot to give there. Jeanny knew who she was and what she wanted from her life. And also, Zoran had taught her how _not_ to use the Force. She could do back flips all on her own, she knew how life was more tedious without the Force. But she believed that this would help her to be a better mediator. When talking to people who only knew the Force from hearsay, wouldn't it be a great help to know how they lived and felt? She hadn't known how to tell Ranja, and now she would never get a second chance.

_es ist schon spät _

Late? Too late! Much too late! Jeanny wanted to cry. Who had done that to them? Who could possibly want them all dead and why? Ranja had never done anything worse than the usual pranks in the Temple. She remembered them, Ranja always had something planned. The day he smuggled itching powder into the council chamber. The day he had pretended to be allergic to gimer and sneezed in violent bursts whenever Master Yoda came close. The day he poured glow-in-the-dark colouring into the water supply.

All that had been great fun, practical jokes that hurt nobody. _Except for yourself,_ Jeanny remembered holding her hurting sides, because she had laughed too hard. She remembered whacking him over the head because he had cheated in sparring again. She wanted to remember, there was nothing else left of Ranja now but memory. As long as she thought of him, he would still be alive in her at least.

_Komm! Wir müssen weg hier,_

No. Jeanny did not want to come; she did not want to run anymore. But her Master's hand gently took hold of her arm, and he needed only to tug softly at it before she got up. Zoran was her Master still. And what he said, she would do. He would know what to do, too. So far, he always had. And so, when he took her arm, Jeanny did not even think about resisting. She got up, looked into his sad and weary eyes. She ran on, guided by their bond; they did not waste time talking. Zoran chose the way, and Jeanny ran as well as she still could.

_raus aus dem Wald,_

The forest grew thinner and suddenly gave way. Jeanny blinked, surprised to see daylight. It seemed that night should have fallen with those fatal shots, it seemed that light was completely inappropriate. And why had Zoran led her out of the woods, didn't they need the cover?

She hurried over the muddy plain, the ground sucking at her boots.

_verstehst du nicht?_

No she didn't understand. But she trusted Zoran, he knew what he was doing. The ground fell, she almost lost her balance, but after a few stumbling steps, she was upright again. Her breath began to be laboured, and she found it more and more difficult to channel the Force into her body, supporting her weary limbs. The soft ground suddenly levelled and before she realized it, she stood halfway in a river.

Zoran was already crossing it, strong and swift strokes bearing him up against the stream. Jeanny wanted to give up, just plop down and have it end. But her Master called through their bond. He had a plan, they would survive.

Jeanny threw herself against the water, willing it to let her pass up the river and towards the other bank. The current was strong, and she sputtered, breathing in short gasps when she managed to get her head over the water. her robes soaked up the cold river water, dragging her down, and slowing her movements. It seemed to take forever to reach the other shore, and when she finally stumbled up the sloping ground, her boot got stuck in the soft ground. Unable to pull it out again, Jeanny landed on the ground face first.

_Wo ist dein Schuh?_

"In the fountain," Jeanny replied, looking at her feet guiltily. She could see her toes through the wet socks of her bare foot and, though she was tempted to wriggle them, she didn't. The stern look on Master Jinn's face forbade it.

It had seemed like a good idea a few minutes ago, running through the parks with Ranja they had become really sweaty. And Ranja had jumped into the central fountain first, splashing cool water all over Jeanny. How irresistible had that been? So she had followed suit, head first. Of course, the fountain was too shallow to allow any real diving. So instead she had made an impromptu handstand, and then her feet had dropped back and when they landed in the upper bowl, her left boot had come off.

She had climbed into the upper bowl after it, of course, and that was just when Master Jinn came along. Ranja, the traitor, had seen him coming and had taken off at light speed, leaving Jeanny rather stranded in her high place.

After heaving her by the scruff, he had taken her to task. Jeanny watched the droplets from her hair pool next to her feet. Jinn had not been too bad with the scolding. And even though he told her, he'd put her up for the next cleaning of the fountain, so she'd see why you were not supposed to swim in it; he never did.

She had been so mad at Ranja for deserting her. Jeanny inhaled the muddy air, so mad. It seemed a bit trifle now, she should not have shouted at him, she wanted to say 'sorry'. The mud bubbled when she exhaled; the sound reminded her faintly of the fountain. Was it still there? Would she see it again? And what had happened to her boot? And what had happened to Ranja?

_Du hast ihn verloren,_

Lost him. Forever. The water under her face warmed a little, as tears mingled with it. What was the sense in going on now, that he was gone? He had been her best friend, her closest confidant, if she had been able to marry one day, he would have been her first choice. There is no emotion - there is no love.

_Blast the code_, Jeanny thought. It had not been able to save Ranja. It had not been able to save Master Dwaren. How could that code save her now? And she had loved Ranja, with all her heart, would have died for him, killed for him, maybe even broken the code for him.

Nothing of that mattered now. Ranja was gone. Lost. And all that was left for her were memories.

_als ich dir den weg zeigen musste _

When she had been lost in Coruscant.

He had found her, somewhere in the lower levels. Ranja, coming for her - finding her. Bringing her back to the temple in the middle of the night, even attempting to sneak her in under the watchful eyes of the Jedi, so she could pretend to have never gone missing. She remembered.

When she had been unable to solve a problem for school.

He had been there, explaining, showing, and making the most difficult problem a simple thing to understand. He had been very good with numbers. He had explained numbers to her as if they were people. She remembered.

When her heart had broken over Warren.

He had been there, laughing, joking, teasing her out of her depressions. He had spent hours cheering her up, made an idiot of himself. He even offered to play some tricks on Warren in revenge, suggesting hilarious ideas until she had to laugh. She remembered.

When she became a Padawan.

He had been there. They had cheered together, held a small party. He had organized some punch, cakes and even a candle that looked like a lightsaber. They had laughed and danced all night. She remembered.

When the world tilted.

He had been there. A streak of red racing towards him, a streak of red racing from him, and the incredible, inaudible sound as he fell to the ground. She remembered.

_Wer hat verloren? _

_Du dich, ich mich, oder wir uns? _

_All of those,_ Jeanny thought. _Ranja - lost. Me -lost. We are lost - for sure. Everything, everything - lost forever. _

So what did it matter now, if those blasted clone troopers found them? What was the reason for running, and running, and running? There was no place to hide. All there was, was the river, the cold water, the mud under her face. It felt strangely good to just lie there, not to care what happened. To have the burden of keeping the galaxy at peace removed.

_We failed, anyway._ The thought did not even hurt anymore. We failed, and now we die.

_"Jeanny, quit living on dreams!" _

Zoran's hand shook her roughly. "This is not the time to give up," he went on, pulling her up.

_"Jeanny, life is not what it seems." _

Zoran dragged her up into the underbrush, still trying to shake his Padawan out of her stupor.

_No, it certainly was not,_ Jeanny decided. She had believed life would be good. A keeper and protector of peace and happiness; _that_ had been her future. But it had been betrayed. It had betrayed her. Nothing would ever be the same. Jeanny felt, she had been following a chimera all her life, and then, it just dissolved. Not only not what it seems anymore, not at all - anymore.

What if they didn't reach the Temple? What if they did reach the Temple, but it was as ravaged as they were here? She had always felt safe there, at home. It had been a place to grow, to return to find help and shelter. She had been sure about her future then and now, now she just felt like, like -

_Such a lonely little girl  
in a cold, cold world _

As if there was no place for her anymore. As if the universe itself had decided to kick her out and abandon her. How could Zoran stand it? Jeanny looked at her Master. His eyes were sad, and he felt so lonely to her through the force. As lonely as herself, maybe more so.

_There's someone who needs you_.

Jeanny decided to pull herself together. Zoran was not alone. Not yet, not if she could help it. What had she been thinking, giving up like that?

"_Jeanny, quit living on dreams_"

, she scolded herself. She had a tendency to get lost in day dreams. But this was not the time, even if this was a nightmare, not a dream. She would stay with Zoran. They would make it. She braced herself, and tried to smile. It felt like a horrible grimace, but Zoran seemed to understand her.

He patted her on the shoulder and they ran on, deeper into the wood, deeper into the evening. It would be easier to loose the troops at night. They might have infra-red gear, but they were Jedi. If they didn't want to, they didn't have to show up on those.

_life is not what it seems _

And living Jedi were certainly not. _We can be anything. We can do anything. Even if we can not call ourselves Jedi. _Jeanny felt the Force flowing through her, enhancing her physical abilities. Without the Force, she would have dropped dead from exhaustion long ago. She saw the shadows grow deeper as the sun vanished behind the hills. Grey mists rose from the damp ground rising to meet the sinking dusk.

They left footprints on the soft ground, and as long as they did, there was no escape. They had to find drier ground, higher ground. Jeanny struggled up the hillside, she stumbled down the other side, followed Zoran up the next. Where were they? Did they get any closer to their destination?

_Destiny,_ she thought suddenly. _We are not going to any destination, we are following destiny. _It did not matter, that she had no idea where she was, destiny would find them. Briefly, Jeanny glanced up at the first stars appearing in the sky. They were foreign to her as the whole planet. Even if she had wanted, she could have gotten nowhere following them.

_You're lost in the night _

But she had Zoran. Her Master would know the way - a way. He always did. And she would follow. And one day, Jeanny wanted to be like him. She wanted to be a healer, a mediator, a helper. Somebody who wore the lightsaber as token of her craft, not a weapon to use, all that was lost to her now. She could still become a healer or mediator, but not a Jedi, not ever. She felt her saber beat against her thigh as she ran. Would she have to use it? And how would it be, to kill? Could she take life, when all she wanted was to preserve it?

_Don't wanna struggle and fight. _

She looked at the back of her Master. Jeanny knew he was tired and desolate. He had had more friends among the Jedi then her, more bonds to be broken. Jeanny, felt it, like a soft snapping in the Force, and Zoran's shoulders would sag a little deeper for a second. She could not disappoint him now. She would not. If she had to kill, so be it.

_There's someone who needs you _


	2. Part 2

_Es ist kalt hier, wir müssen weg hier, komm!_

Night closed in on them, bringing a cold that seemed to burn on her hot skin. Her breath formed little clouds that were torn from her lips as she ran. Even Zoran was slowing down by now, and Jeanny knew they would soon halt. Stay for the night, prepare for an assault; she didn't want to die, even if living hurt like that. She saw Ranja's body fall in her mind again.

It hurt. Just as Master Zoran had predicted, losing a friend was the worst that could happen to you. It hurt even worse than the incident with Warren.

_"Dein Lippenstift ist verwischt "_

Jeanny remembered the words as if it had been yesterday. She had taken such care with the make-up, trying to apply not too much, but still enhancing her face. She had been watching Warren from the distance for some time, and he definitely was a sucker for girls with make-up. So she had applied some. It seemed a logical step to take.

It turned out that logic was not always applicable to people. Warren had not noticed her any more than before. She had put herself in his way more than once, trying to get his attention, but it never worked. Only once, and that one time, what did he tell her, 'your make-up's askew'. She had felt like crying. He had been laughing as he said it.

Zoran had not laughed at her, he had just said that attachment was forbidden for reasons, but she would have to fins out herself. Her Master slowed down to a trot, turning into the underbrush suddenly. Following through the scratching branches, they came on a small opening in the rock. Zoran smiled lopsidedly, beckoning her in. It was almost like back then, when she had been too hurt and too ashamed and hidden in the small retreat she and Ranja had woven into the bushes. It had been just a remark, a perfunctory sentence to a girl of no importance, but she had felt like being on fire. Curled up in the small space, it had not taken long for Ranja to turn up. He was always there.

"Lipstick, huh?" he had commented as he crept through the opening, snatching the item from her hand and scrutinizing it.

"_Du hast ihn gekauft ...und ich hab es gesehen," _

he had simply said. "I suspected why you did it, but I didn't believe Warren would be such a bumpkin." Ranja settled down next to her. "He's a lump, forget about him."

Jeanny had stared straight ahead, pretending to ignore him. But Ranja knew her. Poking her side he took the red colour, waving it through the air.

"I know! I'll draw you a gashing would on the throat with it. We'll have them all completely shocked!" He grinned, shoving the lipstick at her. "And I will tell everybody it was Warren."

"Aw, Ranja! Grow up."

A fight over the lipstick had ensued, ending with red colour everywhere except in the lipstick itself. Some branches still showed traces of it days later. But she had felt better afterwards, returning to her rooms in a good mood. She had looked in her smeared face, red lines crisscrossing her features and robes, it looked most ridiculous.

_Zu viel rot auf deinen Lippen, _

She had wiped it away with a deft movement. Jeanny had never used make-up again after that, trying to convince herself that it mattered more who you are than how you looked. Zoran had supported her. She watched as he removed any signs of their passing. If you couldn't rely on the Force to manage everything for you, you learned to handle things yourself.

"Never be dependent on just one thing," Zoran had lectured her. "If you should ever lose it, you will be lost."

Jeanny did not feel lost, not with Zoran there. She helped rearrange the branches at the mouth of the cave, smiling tiredly.

Her Master laid a hand on her shoulder, returning the smile. "You are a good padawan, Jeanny. You handle the situation well. I am proud of you." He squeezed her shoulder, and Jeanny knew he was not saying what he meant. There was more.

_Augen sagen mehr als Worte,  
_

And his eyes betrayed him. They were so sad, full of sorrow and resignation. Jeanny was almost scared as she sat down on the ground, leaning on his shoulder in exhaustion. He put his arm around her, trying to keep the cold away as well as possible. Vapour began to rise from their robes, and she knew, Zoran was using the Force to dry their robes. Falling asleep in wet clothes at this temperature would be their death.

And they were maybe the last Jedi now. Jeanny shuddered at the thought. How could that happen? Some others must have had survived. But Zoran was so silent. How many of his friends could he still feel? Jeanny reached out, but there was only cold blackness. The presences of her friends that had always shone like candles were all blown out.

_du brauchst mich doch,_

_Now more than ever,_ Jeanny clung to her Master, desperate not to be alone. He seemed to be the last person in the galaxy. She could feel his exhaustion, the controlled breathing and still his pulse raced. She should help him. She should get a grip on herself and _do_ something. Jeanny shivered in the cold.

She could do nothing. It was a weary realisation as she clung to Zoran for warmth and comfort. Capable as she might be, she was just a Padawan, and the events had even exhausted her Master. How could she hope to help at all. Jeanny knew helplessness, but she detested it. What was the good of being a Jedi if you could not help? If you could not go and _do_ something to make somebody's life better?

Jeanny was no genius, neither with nor without the Force. But steady work brought her steady progress. She didn't mind. She liked being a Jedi, helping. You didn't need to be a whiz kid to be a good person. Zoran had certainly made her life a lot better, and Jeanny hoped to have paid him back a good portion of what he had given.

"Don't you think, you are a bit forward?" Zoran's broad grin belied his words.

"Not at all. If you know what you want, you have to go for it." It was one of the few lessons Jeanny had internalised immediately. She would never be the best, but she could be determined about her way and as assertive s anybody else. She wanted to be a negotiator, and Zoran was one of the best.

"You can say no, of course," she added as an afterthought. But he hadn't.

_alle wissen, dass wir zusammen sind ab heute _

It had been a short ceremony, and that had been well. Until this day, every detail was vivid in her mind: the sun slanting through the coloured windows, the faces of her friends, and Zoran's, but most of all, the pride he had already radiated. Pride in her and confidence. She had know right there and then that she could never have found a better Master. And she had done everything to prove his trust.

_'You handle the situation well. I am proud of you.'_ Why had that sounded so wrong? She looked at Zoran's profile, but her Master was deep in though, maybe even feeling the situation in the Force. Jeanny closed her eyes, ashamed of her exhaustion. She was not yet a Jedi, not by a long run.

"Listen to me, Jeanny," Zoran said softly. "We cannot hide forever. They will come and they will find us. They have the equipment and the determination. They _will_ find us."

Jeanny nodded, her cheek scratching against the rough cloth of her Master's cloak. "We will fight."

"Then we will lose." He sounded resigned. "But there is always another way. You can leave it to me. There is another way." He sighed. "Rest for a while."

She tried. But through the Force Jeanny could feel the anxiousness of Zoran, his sadness and a strange kind of acceptance. It was difficult to relax when the threat of the clones was so close. But Zoran was there and he had a plan. She felt safe.

"We will fool them," Zoan said finally. "Make them believe what they want. Do you understand, Jeanny?"

She nodded, feeling the approaching soldiers in the Force. Mind tricks, that was their expertise. "I will do whatever necessary."

"I know. I have not expected anything less from you." Zoran got up. "First, I need to damage your robes, badly, and then, your part is almost done. Are you ready?"

Jeanny got up, wondering what kind of plan her Master had. But he was back to his old confidence, a warm glow emanating from him through their bond. "Yes Master. What then?"

He ignited his saber. "You lie down and be still - completely still - until it is over." He smiled. "We will surprise them bad, my dear. They won't know what hit them."

_Jetzt höre ich sie, sie kommen, _

Jeanny heard them too. She looked at her Master with wide eyes. They would find them. How could they not?

"I am scared," she whispered.

"That's alright," Zorna assured her. "Just don't let it get in the way, Jeanny. You will be fine." He still sounded confident, and still proud of her, too.

Jeanny swallowed. She would not disappoint him. Holding her arms away from her body, she let Zoran slash at her robes. The smell of singed wool was disgusting. Suddenly, the blade cut through her Padawan braid. She watched as it seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion.

"You cannot be a Padawan anymore," Zoran said softly. "You would have made a wonderful knight!"

"Master -"

"It's okay."

_sie kommen dich zu holen _

'Try then,' Jeanny thought. 'Come and get us if you can.'

Zoran placed her rather awkwardly on the ground. It would take a lot to keep still, but she would do it. She could and she would! It was Zoran who had the difficult part.

_Sie werden dich nicht finden!_

"Make no sound and don't move," Zoran told her again. "No matter what, do you hear? Do you understand?" His tone was insistent.

Jeanny nodded and lay back on the cold ground. If Zoran said they would not find her, she believed it. In all their time together, she could not remember a single time when he had lied to her. _They will not find me. Zoran is with me. I am safe. _She closed her eyes and calmed her breath.

_Niemand wird dich finden! _

She did not know what the troopers saw, but she could hear them inhaling sharply despite their helmets. _I must look pretty badly dead_, she thought and tried not to move. The ground was uneven and stones began to dig into her back. She heard Zoran laugh, a shrill almost hysterical sound that had nothing to do with the gentle laughter Jeanny knew from him.

"You will not get her," he shouted. "Nobody shall get her!"

The hum of his ignited lighsaber suddenly filled the cave. Jeanny didn't dare to press her lids together. No movement. Then blaster bolts whizzed over her, deflected by her Master's blade. If only she knew what his plan was. What was she supposed to do? Breathing shallowly, she listened to the sound of the fight, the hum of the lightsaber, the shrieking of the blaster bolts.

Suddenly, Zoran's presence in the Force winked out. Only his repeated warnings kept her lying flat, her lips pressed together tightly. How could this be? He had had a plan he - Jeanny felt a weight dropping on her, slowly, like Ranja had fallen, and she knew that it was Zoran. He came to rest with his back across her belly, his weight crushing down on her and something she did not want to think about began to seep through her robes. _Don't think blood_, _or you'll cry,_ she told her self. _Don't think!_

_Du bist bei mir!_

The clone troopers had left long ago, left them both for dead and Jeanny had lain under the weight of her dead Master's body for hours before she dared move, before she dared to look. He was dead, no doubt. There was a hole in his chest, an unlikely end for a Jedi Master, and his blood had dried all over the two of them. She had curled up again, rocking herself, weeping. She cried until she fell asleep. There was nowhere to go anyway, nothing to do.

When she awoke again, bruised and sore from a night spent on the rocky floor, Jeanny still had no idea what to do next. She looked at Zoran. He looked even more dead now, grey, and devoid of any life, though not like one who died in pain and desperation. He seemed kind of happy, like he had a secret nobody could take from him.

_I am that secret_, Jeanny thought. Gently she touched his cheek. "I do not like your plan Master," she whispered. "Actually, I hate it."

_Jeanny, quit living on dreams  
__Jeanny, life is not what it seems  
__Such a lonely little girl  
__in a cold, cold world_

_... there's someone who needs you ...?_


End file.
